Sister-In-Law Blames Police for Middletown Death

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Police responded to a disturbance call and one man was killed and five cops were hurt,

A 35-year-old man is dead after a confrontation in a Middletown apartment complex that injured five police officers on Monday night.

Police received a call just before 8 p.m. on Monday night about a man acting irrationally and despondent at Middletown Ridge Apartments and the situation quickly spiraled out of control. By morning, Efrain Carrion was dead.

“The initial call was to respond medically to assist this individual, medically with a condition that existed,” Lt. Paul Vance, of Connecticut State Police, said.

“He was having anxiety and stress and all these thins just manifested. We called for help and they killed my brother. They killed him and they justify it,” said Eunice Barrientos, his sister-in-law.

Police from several towns were at the complex for at least nine hours and needed two sets of handcuffs to restrain Carrion, police said. Even with the handcuffs, Carrion was acting violently and injured a police dog, police said.

When police used a stun gun to subdue Carrion, he became unconscious and was taken to an emergency room, where he died, police said.

“He was a hard worker and … he took his kids out of NYC (to) bring (them) here to give them a better life,” Barrientos said.

The dog was taken to a veterinarian.

State police are now investigating, as they do with situations when force is used.

The department will gather and analyze physical and forensic evidence, conduct interviews and put together a package to present to the state's attorney, Vance said.

The chief medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine what exactly killed Carrion.

Published at 6:49 AM EDT on May 25, 2010 | Updated at 9:39 AM EDT on May 25, 2010